Underneath the city lights there is a world few know about
by SpiltWords
Summary: A little follow on to 'A little bit of naughty is a little bit nice. She's a whole lot of glam, sweat, sugar, sex, spice'. I suggest you read that work first. Eponine is trying to live her own life but every time she tries, Montparnasse pulls her back to him. She finds her escape in a few unconventional methods. Rated M to be safe. Mentions of abusive relationships, drugs, alcohol.
1. Chapter 1

When Enjolras woke later that day the first thing he noticed was the dull ache that seemed to have taken hold of his entire body and the second thing was the arms that had wrapped themselves around his body and the mop of hair that seemed to have spread over his chest. He glanced down at his friends that were still fast asleep as he carefully sat up and untangled himself from their arms. The cool air that hit him noted him of the face he was still naked and he quickly grabbed his boxers and yanked them on before walking to the kitchen with a slight limp.

He ran his hand through his hair as he filled the kettle and placed it down to boil as he looked out of the window, mentally mapping the essay that was sat on his desk, still untouched. He grabbed a cup out of the cupboard and added a generous amount of coffee before waiting for the water. Once his cup was full he turned around, to his surprise, finding Eponine dressed in his shirt and leaning against the kitchen door, her eyebrow raised. "I didn't realise you were awake."

She smirked as she nodded her head. "I can tell. You're not a very good host," she teased him as she waltzed into the room, almost skipping until she reached him and took a sip from the mug in his hand before pulling a face. "Bloody hell, that's horrible."

"Swearing isn't very endearing on a woman," he told her as he brushed past her, smiling faintly as he felt her dainty fingers run down his back. She followed him to his desk, watching as he sat down before she spoke again.

"Can I use your shower?" She asked as she glanced at the bathroom door, chewing her bottom lip. He raised his eyebrow as he turned to face her. The past few years he had only ever seen the boisterous, determined Eponine, not one to chew her lip. He nodded his head as he motioned for her to go ahead and she quickly skipped away.

* * *

After almost an hour of being in the bathroom Enjolras sighed as he stood up and knocked on the door as he went to check if she was okay. When he got no reply he knocked again and finally, deciding he had already seen her naked once today, he stepped inside.

He leaned against the sink as he watched her stood under the water with her arms held out at her sides, her head tipped back as she allowed the warm water to run over her. She looked like someone that didn't get the privilege often as she stood there, a small smile on her face. He couldn't draw his eyes away as he concentrated on that expression. The way her eyes crinkled at the edges and how her smile made her dimples even more obvious. He was lost in her expression when her voice pulled him away from it, taking him by surprise. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to pass me a towel?"

He blushed as he grabbed the towel that hung over the radiator and quickly handed it to her as she reached her hand out of the shower. She wrapped it tightly around herself, the material of it almost wrapping around her for a third time. She raised her eyebrow at him as she stood waiting for something. He frowned as he looked around, trying to work out what it was that she wanted when he realised. He hurriedly grabbed the slighter smaller towel and handed it to her, watching as she tipped her head forward and wrapped it carefully around her hair before stepping out and placing a kiss on his lips. "Your turn."

* * *

Enjolras was just stepping out of the shower when Eponine slammed into him, now fully dressed with her wet hair falling around her shoulders. She shot him an apologetic smile before she turned to head for the door again and for some reason that he couldn't explain, he quickly grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her back towards him. "You're going?"

She rolled her eyes at him as she slipped her hand out of his grasp and took a step back. "Got places to go and people to see."

"Other guys?" He cringed as he looked at her, suddenly wondering how many other people she was doing whatever this with.

She laughed as she shook her head, some of the water off of her hair spraying him in the face before her expression softened and she smiled up at him. "I said things to do, not people."

He frowned at her answer, her words not quite answering his question as he looked at her. She was one of the few people he wasn't able to read. Normally he could work a lot out about a person from just looking at them but not Eponine. She was completely different to anyone that he had ever met and from the moment she had managed to wriggle her way into their friendship group everyone had been drawn to her but not Enjolras. He had always stayed away from the bundle of trouble that now stood in front of him, there was something about him that always left him feeling uneasy but not today. Today he had seen a side of Eponine that he hoped none of his other friends had seen before.

Eponine waited for him to speak, rocking on her heels as he stared at her unblinkingly. After a minute or so had past she sighed and stepped up to him, placing another kiss on his lips and drawing him back from whatever place he had been in. His hand absentmindedly moved his hand to his hair, a small ache somewhere deep inside of him wanted to keep her here with him and Combeferre, from whatever place it was that she was going. It had been raining most of the day and it was too cold to be wandering around at this hour and certainly not safe. Whilst their families had a fair bit of money, Enjolras and Combeferre had decided to move themselves into a slightly poorer part of the city where they had found most of their friends but he had no doubt Eponine could handle herself on the streets. He sighed as he ran his fingers through her damp locks before stepping back, letting his hand fall to her shoulder. "Are you sure you have to go?"

She hesitated for a moment, her smile faltering a fraction before it returned to its previous state and with a shrug of her shoulders she turned away from him. "Tell Ferre when he wakes up that I'll call him later."

He didn't have a chance to reply before the door shut behind her and with a small sigh, he returned to his bedroom and sat down on the bed beside where Combeferre still slept.

* * *

Eponine wrapped her arms around herself as she stepped outside, instantly regretting not borrowing one of their coats but she knew that wouldn't end well when she finally got to her own place. She kept her head down as she walked, too many people knew her around here. She took various short cuts, occasionally darting down various passage ways until she reached the apartment she had been looking for only ten minutes after leaving Enjolras.

She pushed the doors open that looked like at any moment they would fall off of their hinges and hurried up the stairs, the noise of her shoes echoed as she looked up at the flights of stairs above her. She had never attempted to use the lift, in places like this they tended to be off putting. More often than not they would be occupied by some drunk and the litter that covered the floor was no way near as bad as the smell of piss that was trapped in the metal box.

She reached the sixth floor in a matter of minutes and fished the key from her pocket. She bit her lip as she realised it was unlocked before she took a deep breath and pushed it open before stepping inside. Sure enough Montparnasse was laid across the sofa, his hands behind his head and a cigarette hung out of his lips. He was only a few months older than her and they'd basically grown up together. He mostly worked for her Father these days and whether she wanted to or not she seemed to have played the role of girlfriend for him for way too long. Depending on what mood he was in depended on what he wanted from her, sometimes if she was lucky she would go months without even seeing or hearing from him.

She headed to the bedroom, trying to ignore the man laid across her sofa as she kicked off her shoes beside the bed and grabbed a slightly thicker jacket before making a beeline for the kitchen. She didn't hear him step up behind him until she felt his hand slink around her waist and she could already smell the alcohol on him and something else, something stronger. Of course what he was smoking wasn't a cigarette. Deciding she would rather stay on his good side, she turned around his grasp and took the spliff from him and took a drag before placing a small kiss on his cheek.

She missed the narrowing of his eyes as she managed to slip out of his arm and went to the fridge, wrinkling her nose as she looked at the almost empty shelves. She grabbed the block cheese and broke of the corner before shoving it in her mouth. When she turned around he was stood close to her again and she instantly forced a smile. "Give a girl a bit of space," she joked, her voice giving away her uneasiness. He still didn't move, his eyes fixed on her.

She pushed past him as she hurriedly tried to move away from him but before she could his arm had made its way around her waist and was holding her tightly against him. "Where've you been, Pony?"

"Pony?" She snorted as her voice grew colder. "I've been out. Why does it matter to you?"

"I've been ringing you," he hissed as he dug his nails into her back causing her to visibly flinch. She looked down as she felt his breath closer to her face. "You've showered."

"Of course I have," she told him quietly, forcing a small smile. "Got to smell nice for you."

"No, normally you smell like booze and smoke. Who were you with?" He snapped as his hand found her hair and tugged on it, causing a gasp to escape from her lips.

"I told you! I was out!" She told him hurriedly as he tugged on her hair again. She bit her lip, the taste of blood on her tongue made her feel sick as she squeezed her eyes shut. "With friends."

He suddenly kissed her, his tongue forcing its way past her lips as she stilled. His grip on her hair relaxed and he soon had her pressed up against the counter as his hand slid under her shirt. She moaned his name against his lips as he held onto her, finally pulling away. "Get in the bedroom," he breathed as he turned away from her.

* * *

She lay alone in the flat a few hours later, her head resting on her hard pillow when she finally fished her phone out of the pocket of her jeans that lay crumpled on the floor. Sure enough there were twenty three missed calls from Montparnasse. She ignored them as she sat up and quickly typed Combeferres number in her phone, she knew better than to save it and let it fall into the wrong hands. She smiled faintly as she listened to it ring, playing with the thin sheet that covered the bed as she waited.

Finally it went to voice mail. She sighed as she chewed her lip, about to hang up when the beep sounded and she quickly moved it back to her ear. "Hey Ferre," she spoke, her grin obvious in her voice. "I had to rush off earlier but I'll be back tomorrow. If you think you can handle it."

She hung up and threw her phone onto the floor before she yanked the sheet up around her as she shivered. She closed her eyes, remembering Combeferres arm around her waist and her head on Enjolras' chest, his heart beat loud beneath his chest, safe in the warm embrace. She was soon fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When Combeferre had woke up later than night he found himself alone in the flat, still laid in Enjolras' bed. He yawned as he sat up, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark room before he glanced at the alarm clock with a frown. It was already eight o'clock, he'd been asleep since around noon. He instantly sat up straighter, remembering there was a meeting in the Musain. He managed a quick shower before yanking his clothes on, realising that must be where Enjolras was although that didn't exactly explain the disappearance of Eponine. He expected her to still be in the flat rather than at the meeting with Enjolras but her behaviour always depended on her mood.

He left the apartment and took the stairs two at a time before quickly running down the road. He was already twenty minutes late but it was only a fifteen minute walk to the café that their friends had managed to take over. He threw the door open as he darted in side, running his fingers through his still damp hair as he set his bag down and began grabbing a few things out of his bag as his friends watched on silently, amused grins plastering their faces.

Courfeyrac slunk over to him, a bottle of beer in his hand. "Fall asleep, did we sleeping beauty?" He teased as he took a swig. Combeferre did a quick sweep of the room, noticing Enjolras stood in the far corner in the middle of a lecture he was giving to Grantaire and his other friends were scattered through out the room but there was no sign of Eponine. He frowned as he turned his attention back to his bag as the man beside him spoke again. "Enjolras told us he found you asleep at the desk."

"Oh," he frowned as he glanced in the direction of the blonde again, looking confused for a moment before he realised. "/Oh/. Yeah, he asked me to uh… help him with the speech. I lost track of time, he really should have woke me."

"Maybe he thought you looked cute when you sleep," the man teased him. Combeferre blushed as he leaned closer to his bag, tugging at the half broken zip. Courfeyrac returned to his stool a few moments later after deciding that there was no chance of Combeferre going along with him.

When he had finally finished with his bag and set it on the floor he found Enjolras stood beside him, already shuffling the papers into the correct order and so each page was lined up behind each other. Without looking at Combeferre, Enjolras spoke quietly. "Eponine left around four. She said she'd ring you tonight," he told him simply.

Combeferre frowned as he nodded his head. "You should have woke me up. I slept most of the day," he sighed.

"You looked like you needed it," Enjolras replied simply as he moved to a table in the centre of the room with Combeferre trailing behind it.

"If anyone needs sleep, it is you. You spend too much time working on essays and speeches." Enjolras gave Combeferre a disdainful look in return before he cleared his front, causing the room to fall silent as he stepped forward.

* * *

Combeferre sighed as he reached the bar, ordering himself a beer. Musichetta smiled at him warmly as she slid him his drink before she wandered back towards his bald friend and placed a kiss on his cheek. Musichetta had been with Bossuet when they had all first met them. She was cheerful and warm but was also quite stern with Grantaire, whilst Bossuet was the unluckiest man that many of them had ever met but he was still just as jolly as everyone else. The couple had been inseparable from the day they had met and Musichetta often joked that if she trusted him not to smash every glass she would hire him straight away.

He pulled his eyes away from them and reached into his pocket for his phone. He frowned as he felt in each of them before going over to his bag under the table and searching through it. He sat up quickly, banging his head on the table as someone tapped him lightly on the back. He turned around to be greeted by Jehan looking at him curiously as the bespectacled man rubbed his head.

Jehan instantly knelt in front of him, tilting his head to the side before he broke into a wide smile that Combeferre help but return. "What exactly are you doing?" He asked him in a loud whispered. "Joly thinks you're going insane."

Combeferre laughed light heartedly as he stood up and offered Jehan his hand. The smaller man took it and sprung to his feet, dusting down his knees. "I'm looking for my phone, I think I must have left it behind," he sighed.

"I think I can fi that," Jehan replied as his face lit up. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and handed it to him. Combeferre raised his eyebrow as he looked at the phone which was coated in tiny poems wrote all over the back of the case. He made a mental note to read them all later, meanwhile he thanked Jehan before slipping out of the doors and quickly rang Eponine.

He sighed as she didn't answer, quickly hitting the button to hang up before trying again. It often took a few attempts to call her before she was awake enough to answer the phone. He glanced at the time before ringing her again, it was only midnight and often she would stay up later than that. Maybe she was just at some bar somewhere or out… whether it was that she usually went.

He frowned as he pulled up a text and quickly sent it her. 'Hey Ep, its Ferre. I left my phone in the apartment. I'll try ringing you again in a bit or in the morning. Sleep well. x'

He stood outside a few more moments, enjoying the silence as he gazed up at the stars. A round of laughter filled the Musain and he smiled fondly at the thought of his friends. He turned back to the doors, heading towards the warmth when the phone rang. He smiled as he saw Eponines number and quickly answered.

* * *

Eponine was asleep in bed when she heared the banging at the door. She frowned as she crawled out reluctantly from beneath the covers, shivering as her feet touched the cold floorboards and hurriedly went to answer it before any of the neighbours complained. Out of everyone she knew there were only two people who knew where she lived. The first was Grantaire who normally shouted through the door rather than knocked and the second was Montparnasse.

She didn't bother to look through the peep hole as she kept the chain across the door and opened it, glancing through the small crack as she looked at the now not only high but also drunk man that stood on the other side. She tapped her foot as she waited for him to speak, running her eyes over him for some clue as to why he was here. She frowned at the blood stain on his shirt sleeve and looked at him questioningly.

"Let me in!" He hissed as he attempted to push the door open further. He turned his attention to the chain before looking at her again. "Let me in now!"

She hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. She pushed the door shut before she took the chain off and Montparnasse instantly pushed it open and stumbled in. She quickly shut the door behind him and bolted it before she turned to look at him. "I thought you were going out?" She asked him coolly as he threw himself down in the armchair.

He rolled his eyes as if it was obvious that he had whilst he peeled his shirt sleeve away from the blood that covered his skin. She instantly went into the kitchen and grabbed the first aid kit which had turned out to be pretty necessary over the past few years. She sat down beside him as she grabbed a wipe from the kit and began wiping the blood off of his skin. "How did you do it?" She asked him, her voice was gentle as if she was speaking to a chid but the man barely registered her words as he balled his hand into a fist through annoyance.

"Some stupid kid, thought he could steal on my patch," he spat as Eponine held him arm still, placing a kiss over the gash on his arm. "So, I taught him a lesson. Didn't think he'd have a knife."

"I bet you were better than him with a knife," she told him as she grabbed a bandage out of the kit and very carefully began to wrap it around his arm. He grunted in agreement as he grabbed the knife out of his pocket and rammed it into the wood of the coffee table alongside a similar shaped hole that had been made a few days earlier.

Once she was done tending to his wound she moved onto his lap, her fingers running through his hair as she looked at him. His eyes were fixed on the wall behind her, his jaw set and she could only imagine the thoughts running through his head. She remembered a time when he had been a kind boy, caring almost or at least he was to her. They'd been barely older than kids when they had met and it was obvious that he needed help getting money. Her Father had trained her from a young age how to pickpocket and in the end she had taught Parnasse. Eventually he had somehow met her Fathers gang of thieves, the Patron Minette, and he had joined them when he was barely older than sixteen. By the age of eighteen he had become an addict and with him she had stumbled down that road as well, whether she wanted to or not. They drank together, they smoked together, they got high and they slept together. The same cycle week after week. She wanted a better life, she wanted to be clean and at some point around that time she had met Combeferre and Enjolras and all of the other guys when she had wandered into a café, trying to see if there was anything in there worth coming back for with Parnasse around closing. Courfeyrac had offered her a drink, being the vain man that he was he had attempted to hit on her for a good hour before he gave up. Soon she had been introduced to all of them and she got forced into staying to listen to some speech they had all gathered here to listen to. That was the first time she had been given hope of having a new life but she couldn't tell them about this one, if they found out they wouldn't want to know her. She didn't even want to know herself. She showed up as often as she could, every few days and stayed for a couple of hours before returning to whatever jobs it was that her Father needed her to do that day.

Over time whilst she had been slipping out to the café, Montparnasse began taking more drugs and more alcohol, he gained a taste for inflicting pain and for blood and he was nothing like the boy she had once loved. The first time he raised a hand to her it had shocked her, she had never thought that he had it in him. Plenty of times he had turned up on her doorstep with blood on his clothes and cuts covering his skin but never once had he gone that far. Her parents had, that was how her brother and ended up in care. They were a few years younger than she was and the minute they had gone she moved out on her own into some shabby old flat but not Parnasse, not her Parnasse. She clung on to the memory of the kind Parnasse she had met before he had turned into the corrupted man in front of her.

She shook her head as she tried to rid the thoughts, smiling slightly at the man in front of her. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, sometimes he wasn't all bad. Sometimes he was actually okay. He sighed as he relaxed against the sofa and she leaned with him, her hands holding onto his shoulders for support as he wrapped his own arms around her waist. They remained like this for some time, silently exchanging kisses until her phone rang. The first time they ignored it but by the third time it rang, Montparnasse was visibly angry.

He shoved her off her lap and onto the sofa as he stood up, stalking towards the bedroom. "Who the hell is ringing you at this time?" He demanded as he grabbed the phone and thrust it into her face.

"No one, it's a wrong number," she lied. She frowned as she looked at Jehans unsaved number flash up on the screen, it was times like this she was glad she didn't save them. "Come on, get in bed. I'll help you relax a bit."

He nodded his head gruffly as he threw the phone down on the side before yanking her down onto the bed. His lips found her neck as he began biting at the skin. Despite the unpleasant burn she let out a small moan, knowing it would keep him occupied for some time.

He had her top off as he played with the knife that he had gone to retrieve a few minutes earlier, tracing small cuts across the skin of her stomach as she faked a look of pleasure when her phone dinged, indicating a text.

Montparnasse reached for the phone before she could and opened the text, frowning as he read it. He turned his eyes back to her, narrowing the angrily. "Who the hell is 'Ferre'?" He demanded as he moved his face closer to hers.

She flinched as his eyes locked with hers and she quickly reached for the phone only for him to pin her arm to the bed using his own as he clutched the phone. "It must be a wrong number," she told him as calm as she could manage.

He snorted as he moved the hand that was holding the knife to her throat and closed his fingers round it, leaving the weapon on the mattress. "I'm not stupid. It says Ep. That's you. Who the hell is he?"

She flinched as her eyes went to the phone. "He's my friend," she told him hurriedly. "That's all!"

"Why'd you lie?" He spat as he held the phone out of her reach as she tried to grab at it. She gasped for breath as his hand tightened around her throat. "He wants you to have sweet dreams. I'll make sure you have sweet dreams."

She managed to get her hand on the phone and struggled to pull it out of his hand. Little did she know she had hit the recall button as she Parnasse pressed her hand into the mattress whilst the other hand tightened around her throat. Within moments the whole world went black.

* * *

Combeferre frowned as he listened to the sound of muffled movement on the other end of the phone, occasionally calling out her name. After a few minutes he gave up, assuming she must have rolled onto the phone in her sleep and accidentally called her. He headed back inside and handed the phone back to Jehan and thanked him before leaving him alone with the other medical student where they were sat talking in the corner of the room before he grabbed another drink and settled into one of the armchairs for the remainder of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

When she came around a while later, her throat felt raw and her head ached. Eponine sat up slowly, her limbs felt like jelly and the first thing she was aware of was the smashed phone on the floor. She rubbed her throat, wincing as she ran her fingers over the bruise that was already beginning to blossom on her skin. She was about to get up and see if she was alone when the door slammed open and Montparnasse stumbled in, so drunk that he almost fell over his own feet. She watched him silently as he sat down beside her and pressed the can of beer to her lips. She shook her head until she felt his thumb and finger grip her jaw tightly, pouring the liquid down her throat. She spluttered at the burning sensation that it caused, wiping at the beer that ran down her chin.

He placed a quick kiss on her lips before standing up, his hand briefly running through her mattered hair before he stepped back. "Got t' go out," he slurred as he downed the rest of his beer and stumbled into the living room. "I'll see you later."

She waited until she heard the door slam before she got to her feet and hurriedly went to lock it. She looked around her apartment, the television screen was now smashed and the coffee table stood on it's side. He often destroyed her furniture when he got angry. She sighed as she considered tidying it up before glancing at the time. It was already three in the morning. She stumbled back to bed, ignoring her aching limbs.

By the time she woke up it was way past midday. She wasn't sure whether the man had tried to return the night before but if he had, he hadn't gotten inside. She briefly looked through the fridge, finding nothing interesting to eat before she wandered to the bathroom. She glanced in the cracked mirror at her reflection, her fingers tracing the fresh, angry bruise that covered a lot of her neck. Normally he never left a mark where it could be seen but last night he had been angry enough to do so. No amount of make up would be able to cover this bruise up.

* * *

A few weeks had past and no one had seen Eponine, not even Grantaire. Combeferre had asked their friends every other day, eventually they were starting to raise their eyebrows but he didn't care. He had tried to ring her phone numerous times but every time he got straight through to answer phone and after a week the number had been cut off all together.

After the end of the second week, Grantaire decided enough was enough. They were all used to Eponine disappearing off the face of the earth every now and again, sometimes she was even gone for over a month before returning with an explanation but with Combeferre worrying, everyone was beginning to wonder where she was and even Enjolras looked up whenever one of the mentioned her from whatever he was doing.

He wandered up the stairs to her flat, carefully stepping over someone who was either asleep or passed on the stairs. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he continued, even this place was disgusting to him, a man used to sleeping in alleyways and street corners when he was too drunk to remember where he lives.

When he reached the flat the first thing he noticed was the silence behind the door before anything else. Normally she'd be singing along to some god awful song but today she wasn't. He wondered if maybe she had moved out or maybe she just wasn't in but he knocked on the door anyway, hoping that maybe her radio had broken. After a few minutes of nothing, he knocked again and waited but still no one came.

He sighed as he grabbed a piece of paper out of his pocket and scribbled a note on it, asking her to ring him whenever she got in. He slid it under the door before glancing down the stairwell again, debating whether he'd rather risk the lift or the stairs. In the end, the stairs won out.

He practically ran down them to avoid spending too much time in the stench before he stumbled out onto the street, crashing straight into someone and knocked them to the floor. He hurriedly apologised as he helped them to their feet, looking at the red head curiously. She looked nothing like someone who would live in this place, her clothes were too clean and hair was held up in some complicated up do.

It was obvious she was nervous about entering the building alone by the way she looked at it, her eyes lingered on the door before she looked back at him. "I know this is a strange thing to ask… but would you come with me?"

He nodded his head, giving her a small smile. "Sure. Are you visiting or do you live here?" He asked her curiously. It's not like he had anywhere more important to be anyway. Eponine could be anywhere in France right now.

The girl step forward and he followed her quickly inside, watching as she headed towards the lift, obviously not knowing what the state was like inside. "I'm visiting. I was coming to see my sister. She hasn't been in touch in a while."

He nodded his head as he stepped into the lift with her, chuckling lightly at her obvious grimace as she covered her face with her hand and stabbed at the buttons. They let in move in silence, neither of them particularly wanting to breath in the small space. The lift stuttered and cluttered to a holt before the doors slid open and they both tumbled out.

"I don't know why she would want to live here," she sighed as she began walking down the corridor, glancing around at the mouldy wall paper as she glanced at the numbers. She stopped outside number fifty six, the same flat he had just been to visit.

His jaw dropped as he looked her over and he instantly saw the similarity in the two of them. The red head, unlike Eponine, actually looked like she ate every day. She wasn't bony like Eponine was and her face didn't look sunken and there was definitely less scars covering her skin but she had the same brown eyes and dimples. "Eponine?" He asked.

Her eyes widened as she nodded her head quickly. "Is she here? She promised Gav that she'd take him out for ice cream at the weekend but she never showed up. I tried going where she worked but they said she hadn't shown up there either."

He frowned slightly. "No," he sighed as he glanced at the door. "I've already tried looking here. We haven't seen her in a couple of weeks."

"We?" The other girl asked curiously as she knocked on the door anyway, calling out her sisters name before leaning her ear against the door and listening.

"Yeah, we. We're here friends," he rubbed the back of his neck as he gestured back towards the lift they had just stepped out of. She wrinkled her nose slightly before heading towards the stairs instead. Grantaire sighed in relief, thankful that she had chosen the better option of the two as he fell in step with her. "She hangs out with us a bit."

"She's never talked about friends," she shrugged. "I always assumed she was just here with Montparnasse."

"Montparnasse?" He repeated with a frown.

"Oh…" she chewed her lip as she played with her hands. "She hasn't told you about that, has she?"

"About what?" He frowned as he gripped her arm to stop her walking any faster.

She slipped a piece of paper out of her pocket with a number scrawled across it. "Will you ring me if you hear from her?"

He nodded his head as he took it and placed it in his pocket. "Who is Montparnasse?" He asked her desperately. Maybe if he could find out who he was he'd be able to track him down and ask him about Eponine.

She shook her head. "You don't want to know him," she told him simply as she slipped her wrist out of his grip before turning and hurrying down the rest of the stairs. He shouted after her, not even knowing her name but she didn't even turn around. He grabbed the slip of paper out of his pocket and rang the number as he heard the doors a head slam shut, sighing in frustration when she didn't answer it and eventually stepped down the rest of the stairs and outside, heading towards the Musain.

* * *

Montparnasse had dragged her along to one of his usual haunts, some seedy backstreet bar that stank. She was perched on his lap as he played his fifth game of poker. He quickly checked his cards and Eponine instantly knew he wasn't going to be winning this round either, before he added his last few chips to the table and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "You're my good luck charm," he breathed into her ear as she wriggled uncomfortably on his lap.

"I'll get us some more drinks," she told him as she managed to peel his arm from around her and get to her feet. He traced his fingers down her back before pausing to give her a quick squeeze as she hurried away, trying to ignore the eyes on her. Montparnasse had forced her to put on a dress that felt way to revealing for her liking and left her feeling uncomfortable. She hated the way the red material clung to her skin, showing off her way too skinny figure and stopping way too far up her thighs and started too far down her chest.

When she approached the bar the tender looked up, giving her a wink. Her eyes lingered on his black teeth as he spoke. "What do you want, sweetheart?"

She glanced over to the poker table where the group of men were now leaned forward, discussing in low voice. She swallowed hard, noticing that Montparnasse was leading the discussion. "Two whiskeys," she told him before hurriedly adding as the rest of the group added more chips into the game. "And a shot of vodka."

"You know, if you give me your number you can have them for free," he told her as he began to pour the drinks. She shuddered as she looked the man that was definitely older than her Father, he was starting to go bald on the top of his head and his face was red and stubbly. He ran his tongue along his lip as his eyes ran over her body . She took the shot from him hurriedly and downed it before pushing the shot glass back towards him. "Put it on Parnasse's tab," she told him.

His face paled as he nodded his head hurriedly. "I didn't know you were with him."

She smirked slightly as she took a sip from her drink. "I can tell," he told him. "He wouldn't be very happy if he knew someone else had been looking at me."

"I wasn't-"

"Oh, I saw you," she cut him off as she narrowed her eyes at him. "And he certainly wouldn't like it if her knew you were asking for my number."

"Take the drinks," he told her quickly as Parnasse glanced their way. "On the house."

She grinned at the man as she took the drinks, winking at Parnasse before she headed his way. He patted his knee for her and she let out a small sighed before she obliged, perching herself on his knee. He slipped one arm around her and took the drink from her, brushing his lips across the back of his neck before returning to the game.

By the time game was drawing to an end it was obvious that Parnasse had no chance of winning. She moved to nuzzle against his neck, placing a few kisses over his skin as she tried to calm him. He slammed his fist on the table suddenly, making her jump before she quickly placed her hand over his, rubbing her thumb over the back of it. "Let's go home," she breathed against his ear.

He shoved her off of him, not even glancing her way as she stumbled to keep her balance as he looked at the men around the table. "Cheats," he sneered accusingly. The men rolled their eyes as he looked between them, gritting his teeth.

She hurriedly stepped forward again, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Just leave them," she told him urgently as she tried to get him to stand up.

"Get off," he spat as he looked at Eponine over his shoulder, glaring at her. She instantly let go, playing with her hands nervously.

One of the men rolled their eyes impatiently. "We had a deal and you lost the game. Next time don't bet something so valuable," he spat as he stood up, reaching into his pocket and placing his hand around what was distinctly the outline of the gun.

"Parnasse, do what he says," she whispered worriedly, tugging at his hand again. He glanced up at her before he nodded his head and got to his feet. The men watched his warily as he grabbed Eponines wrist.

"I need five minutes," he told them simply and before any of them could say anything he began dragging her towards the toilets. "Get in there."

"I'm not doing anything in here," she protested. She wrinkled her nose as she stepped into the toilets and leaned against the sink. It was rare that any women came in the bar so there had never been any need to make separate toilets. She watched as he pulled a bag of pills from his pocket and began shaking a couple onto his hand. "I'm not taking anything."

He scowled at her as he grabbed hold of her face and pressed his finger and thumb between her jaw, forcing her to open her mouth. He shoved the pills into her mouth before clamping his hand over her mouth and pinched her nose. She struggled as he pressed his weight against, desperately hitting at his chest and trying to shove him away. Finally, after a minute of struggling she finally swallowed.

When he finally let go she gasped for air, shoving him in the arm as she clutched at the sink. He waited silently, glaring at himself in the mirror behind her. "Just give him whatever you bet," she told him.

"I am," he frowned as he looked back at her. She gave him a questioning look as he pulled her closer and kissed her. It wasn't rough like she expected it to be, or harsh. His lips pressed against hers softly and it was over in a matter of seconds. There was something odd about it, something she couldn't explain. Whatever was going on had sobered him up and he pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'm giving them you."

She shoved him away roughly, stumbling backwards. "No. I wont do it!" She shouted suddenly, trying to get away from him as he stepped towards her until she was pushed up against the corner of the room. "Damn it, Parnasse! I'm a human being, you can't just use me for a game!"

"Shut up," he hissed as he glared at the hysterical girl in front of him. Whatever caring mood he had just been in disappeared as quickly as it had begun and he was stood over her again, his teeth gritted in annoyance. "You'll draw attention to us. The drugs will kick in, you wont remember a thing."

She hit at him desperately until he had hold of her wrists and he kissed her possessively. "Just remember, you're mine."

* * *

She remained sat on Parnasse's lap as they remained at the poker table, the men were talking too loudly for her taste but she didn't care. Her head was beginning to lol to the side when she let out a small laugh, kissing at the mans neck. "I love you, you know," she slurred slightly before she suddenly stood up. His arms were around her as she stumbled, clutching at his forearms. She leaned up and kissed him, ignoring him as he tried to pull back. "Let's go home."

He nodded at the other men at the table as he kept his arms around her waist, letting her lead him through the club, easily managing to slip between the various people in the bar. She paused occasionally as she swayed to the music and leaned back against his chest until he reminded her where they were going and she took off again, dragging him towards the door.

The cold hit them as soon as they stepped outside and she turned to face Montparnasse, shivering in his arms. "Where's your car?" She asked, tracing her finger over his lip.

He sighed as he untangled her from him. "You're not coming home with me," he reminded her as he handed her off to the man from earlier.

She frowned as she looked at the dark haired man looking down at her. "Who are you?" She asked, trying to work out why he was so familiar looking. He was more than likely a man that hung around with Montparnasse often.

"Theodule," he told her as he directed her towards his car. "You can just call me Theo."

"Theo," she repeated as she glanced around. "Where'd Parnasse go?"

"Home," he told her simply as he opened the back door to the car before he slipped inside. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as the others got into the cramped car.


	4. Chapter 4

"Pull the god damn car over," Theodule snapped as he looked at the girl beside him that had turned paler and paler through out the journey. When the gravel crunched beneath the wheels she instantly threw the door open and tumbled on to the ground, scraping her knees as she threw up undignified into a bush.  
After a few moments she heard an impatient sigh from behind her as the other car door was thrown open and footsteps sounded behind her. She could feel his eyes on the back of her as she wrenched into the bush, her body trembling each time. Getting bored of her knelt on the floor, now staring down at a piece of gravel that she held in her hand he roughly yanked her to her feet by her arm before bundling her into the car.  
It only took a few minutes before they reached the large manor house that he called home and the car came to an abrupt halt at the end of the drive, pulled up at the bottom of the steps that led to the house. He laughed at the girls expression as he climbed out, pulling her with him. "Parnasse never taken you a place like this?" She shook her head. "He doesn't know how to treat a woman."  
She was about to protest when his fingers brushed against her cheek and soon his lips were pressed against hers, soft and gentle in their movements and when he pulled away, she was left wanting more. He didn't taste like smoke and blood like Parnasse, he tasted….different. A kind of good different. He tasted like desire and lust.  
She almost ran after him as he walked up the steps and slipped her arm through his, clinging on to him for dear life as if the moment they stepped inside she would get lost in the massive building. It was the biggest building that housed just one person that she had ever seen, let alone stepped inside of.  
Her jaw dropped even further as they entered through the doors, her eyes looking over every single object insight. She hadn't noticed the other men from the car had disappeared now, she was too amazed with the house that surrounded her to care. This was the exact reason Parnasse had given her the drugs. By morning she wouldn't remember the place and she couldn't want something she didn't remember.  
He pulled her towards the stairs, only half the gentleman he appeared to be. At any other time he would have given her the tour and charmed her into his bedroom but not tonight. He only had a small window of opportunity. Two hours had been what they had agreed to. After that he had to kick her out and Parnasse would come find her.  
"Is everything in proportion to your house?" She asked him suggestively, her nibble fingers managed to quickly undo the buttons of his shirt before they had even reached the bedroom. He rolled his eyes at the cheesy line, letting his shirt hit the floor, closely followed by his jeans as he kicked off his shoes with them. When he turned around the girl was still fully dressed and admiring his toned body.  
He raised his eyebrow and she quickly got the hint and soon her dress fell in a bundle of red ripples around her ankles when she bent over to remove the heels. He shook his head as he glanced at them. "Leave them on," he told her as he took her hand and pulled her over to the bed.  
He smirked as he looked down at her, now laid naked on the silk covers. It somehow didn't surprise him that she had been wearing no underwear, he didn't expect anything more of a girl that was dating the likes of Montparnasse, of course she would be cheap.  
He bent down and kissed her, no longer gentle as he forced his tongue into her mouth and snaked his hand over her stomach and reaching between her legs. She was so wet he could easily slip a finger inside of, dragging a moan from between her lips before he pulled back and yanked down his briefs. "Lets see how well trained he's got you," he suggested as he moved onto the bed, placing a knee either side of her head.  
She soon had the hot heat of her mouth around his length, bobbing her head as if she had done this a hundred times before. If he had longer he would have come there and then in her mouth before a second round but he couldn't. Not tonight. He thrust into her mouth after a while, a cruel smirk appearing on his face as she spluttered around him. The vibrations against him made him throw back his head as he thrust fasted before finally pulling out and laying down on the bed. "On top," he ordered.  
She looked at him hesitantly as she rubbed her throat, wary of him as she moved to straddle him, taking his hard length in her hand before she slowly lowered herself down, gasping as she closed her eyes. He gritted his teeth as he thrust up. He had to give it to Parnasse, she was good.  
Her eyes drifted shut as she threw her head back. Whatever it was that Parnasse had given her, it made her feel good. Every touch sent a burst of sensations through her. She all but screamed at the first orgasm that rippled through her, causing her hips to jerk unevenly and her body to shake as she clutched at the sheets, his hair, anything she could hold of before she stilled, panting for breath on top of him.  
He watched her impatiently before rolling them over, thrusting into her hard and fast, drawing gasps from her lips and the smallest of moans as she tried to ignore how sensitive she was. It wasn't long before he felt the tightening in his stomach and he was soon grunting on top of her, his nails digging into her arms as he held her in place. When he came, he came hard and it drew another orgasm out of her until she was left panting beneath him, her own nails raking down his back and through his hair.  
When he was done with her he threw the dress at her and in her confusion she hurriedly pulled it on. He wasn't gentle anymore and as he yanked her down the stairs and out of the door. She stumbled on her heels, losing her balance as she toppled onto her knees and scraping her hands. She looked around for the car she had been brought here in but that was no longer their either.  
She could barely remember where she was as she made her way down the drive way, yanking at the dress, trying to pull it down further as she shivered in the cold night air. When she finally reached the gate there was already a taxi waiting and she frowned as she glanced back at the manor. She had no other form of transport. She quickly climbed inside and gave the first address that came to her mind as the taxi set off.

* * *

Despite it almost being two in the morning and Musichettas regular threats to close, it was still packed with the group of students taking up every space available. Combeferre and Enjolras sat in the very centre of the room, their tables covered in sheets of papers with plans and maps scribbled over them. For the past two weeks they had avoided the topic of that night and focused themselves in their next protest. It had to be perfect. It would be perfect.  
Their friends were already drunk, they had been for the past four hours and with every drink they became louder and louder, apart from Jehan who claimed that alcohol poisoned the body and Joly who full heartedly agreed (although he did allow the exception of one or two drinks). Suddenly a chorus of "Eponine!"s filled the room and both men at the centre of the room got to their feet to see if she could truly be here.  
"I need someone to pay my taxi," she told them as she swayed, falling into the arms of Bahorel who held her tightly against him, swaying her in time to music that no one else could her. Despite being drunk, Feuilly was no less of a gentleman and he quickly slipped out of the door in search of the taxi.  
Enjolras was the first to reach her, Combeferre close behind as they looked at the girl that clung to the boxers shirt, laughing as she threw her head back. Her make up was smudged across her face and her hair was a tangled mess and the dress certainly left nothing to their imagination. There was five crescent shaped marks on each of her arms and bruises in various forms of healing marked her skin but none of these were out of place on her, she often turned up with worse injuries.  
Enjolras scowled as he placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention and she instantly turned in the others arms to face him before her face lit up and she threw herself at the blonde, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He stiffened as he stood there, all eyes on him. He untangled her arms from around his neck, holding her at arm's length. "Are you drunk?" He demanded. She looked at the floor sheepishly, playing with a strand of her hair. "We've been worried sick!"  
"Where've you been?" Combeferre interjected as he guided the trembling girl towards a chair and sat her down, crouching in front of her as he took her hands in his.  
"I've been…out," she told him simply as she looked up. Her eyes glazed over as she stared at the wall behind him, her breaths coming in laboured as she stayed with whatever thought she was thinking.  
Combeferre frowned as he gave her a gentle shake. "Have you just been drinking or have you taken anything?" He asked as he pushed her hair out of her face. Enjolras scowled as he stepped back, allowing Joly to join them and hold Combeferre a glass of water out.  
Soon the Musain was silent as everyone watched. At some point Musichetta had moved from behind the bar to get a better look at what was happening and her arms had found her way around the poet that had been nervously chewing his nails as he watched. Grantaire had slid off his stool and lingered just beside Enjolras whose jaw was set and his hands balled into fists at his sides. The others watched as they huddled together, no one speaking as they waited.  
"I don't remember what," she whispered to them, yanking her hands out of Combeferres. She scratched at her arm as she looked around, glancing at each of the men apart from Enjolras. She knew he wouldn't be happy. She knew exactly where he stood when it came to drugs. She instead looked at his shoes, nervously swallowing before she glanced back at the two medical students in front of her who were exchanging worried glanced.  
"Do you remember how you took it? Orally? Injection?" Joly offered as she shook her head again, her action becoming more frantic as her nails scratched over her skin until Combeferre took her hands and gripped them tightly in her own to keep them still. "Do you know where you were?"  
Finally, Enjolras cracked. He stepped forward, looking down at Eponine with a glint of anger in his eyes. "For god sake," he snapped, causing her to flinch as everyone watched him wordlessly. "How stupid can you be? Look at you, you're a mess! Is this what you've been doing for the past few weeks?"  
She shook her head weakly as she bit her lip, no longer daring to look at any of the men in the room, not even Combeferre. "Calm down," Jehan suddenly spoke up, wriggling his way out of the barmaid's arms. He stepped in front of Enjolras, squaring his shoulders as he tried to make himself taller. It would have looked comical if it had been at any other time. "Shouting won't get us anywhere!"  
"She needs to learn!" Enjolras snapped, his voice quieting slightly as he looked down at the young poet. There was something about the aura that he gave off. Jehan had the ability to calm any of their friends down, no matter what their mood. The jittery man, often forgotten that he was older than a boy, was often underestimated for his ability to calm and sooth but perhaps that was why he was so perfectly suited for Joly. "Look at her," he whispered as he stepped to the side to allow the leader to look at the girl again. "I think right now what she needs is a pair of arms to hold her and ears to listen."  
Enjolras nodded as he stepped back, crossing his arms against his chest as the atmosphere lifted slightly and light chatter began to run through the group. The barmaid placed a kiss on the poets cheek, thanking him for stopping any more of her furniture being destroyed in one of the groups fights before she returned to her place behind the bar.

* * *

Joly was in the middle of listing off all of the complications of what could happen if she had taken certain drugs when Jehan finally dragged him away. Eponine was still sat in the chair with her head in her hands as she let out a series of sharp breaths, yanking at her hair. She'd been shaking for the past few minutes, rocking herself as she stared at the same fixed spot on the floor.  
The guys had realised that no time soon would they be getting any answers and after a while Musichetta had produced a set of cards to amuse them and they'd pushed the tables to together with everyone apart from the two medical students, the poet and the leader playing.  
A series of groans filled the room as Bahorel won another game when Bossuet stood up, almost knocking over the table. "Poker!" He announced, as he looked at Musichetta who had been nominated as card dealer who nodded her head enthusiastically in reply.  
Eponines head shot up as she glanced towards the table, chewing her lip as she got the slightest hint of a memory back. Poker. Poker meant something to her but she didn't know what and Combeferre spotted the slight change in her. He squeezed her hands as he looked at her encouragingly. "What is it?"  
"Nothing…" She whispered as she watched the game from where she sat, her hands still holding tightly onto Combeferres. He sighed as he glanced at the Blonde behind him who glanced down at him, giving him the slightest nod of his head before looking away.

* * *

Silence never lasted for long. As the night grew on the various members of the friendship group had taken up a majority of the armchairs and sofas to rest. What had been the card table had been transformed into a surface for Bahorel to arm wrestle anyone willing to take him on and he was currently in the middle of a match with Feuilly. Trusting Enjolras enough for him to not let the guys destroy the place, Musichetta had dragged Bossuet off to bed with her and Jehan was currently in the corner, tracing his fingers through Jolys mop of hair as he slept against his shoulder. Eponine however, was still sat in the chair with Combeferre clutching her hands as Enjolras watched.  
When the door slammed open, Bahorel took the opportunity to push Feuillys hand into the table before the two of them stood up, noticing the storm that flooded into the room along with the presence of the man. Eponine was already on her feet, looking at him silently, unmoving until he motioned for her to come forward.  
She squeezed Combeferres hands reassuringly before she let them go, leaving him to glance at Enjolras worriedly. She all but fell into his arms, letting him engulf her against him. She seemed smaller than before as she remained motionless, the entire room was watching them now before Enjolras spoke up. "Did you give her the drugs?"  
The man raised his eyebrow as he looked at him. "Are you Ferre then?" He asked, ignoring Eponines whispered 'no' as he shoved her aside and stepped forward.  
The real Combeferre hurriedly stepped forward, clearing his throat. "I'm Ferre. Combeferre actually, only my friends call me Ferre."  
The man laughed as he eyed him up and down. "So is this the guy you've been fucking behind my back, Pony?" She swallowed hard as she stared at the ground, her cheeks burning red as everyone looked at her. "Answer me!"  
She nodded her head weakly as she chewed her lip. "Yes…" she whispered. Her eyes widened as he lunged at Combeferre and faster than anyone else could move, she had leaped between them, shielding the gob smacked looking Combeferre from Montparnasses fist.  
She brought her hand up to her cheek as she stared at him speechlessly. "Are you okay?" Combeferre asked her worriedly as he tried to pull her out of the way but she stubbornly held her ground.  
Bahorel and Feuilly soon had Montparnasse against the wall in a flurry of movements, pinning his arms at either side of him beneath their weight as Combeferre continued to fuss over her cheek, running his fingers gently over her skin as he examined her.  
"How was the guy tonight?" Montparnasse called, causing her to flinch as she dropped her eyes to the floor. "Was he good? Did he have a big house? Go on, tell them about that man, Theodule, that you spent the night with."  
There was a sudden silence as Marius jumped to his feet, staring at Eponine accusingly. "You slept with my cousin?" He demanded. "The cousin that made my life hell!"  
She squeezed her eyes shut as she stared at the ground. Marius had been her best friend for so many years and the very thought of hurting him, hurt her. Now she knew why the man looked so familiar, not only had she seen photos but he also resembled a less freckled version of Marius. "I… I'm sorry."  
"She's just a slut!" Montparnasse shouted, silenced as Bahorels fist made contact with his nose. Eponine looked around the room and all of the eyes that were on her. Marius looked at her in disgust, Enjolras stared off behind her and Combeferre… he looked hurt. No one else could meet her eyes as she stood there, in the centre of the room in the red dress that showed more than it covered.  
Tears stung her eyes as she played with her hands, uncertain what to say. She looked around one last time before she ran. Out of the door and onto the street, her high heels hitting the pavement as she tried to get as far away as she could. If there was one thing she was good at, it was running.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry that I took so long to update! I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the earth or abandoned this! I had an exam on friday and I had a bit of a freak out and revised loads but I think it was worth it! I also had an awful migraine all weekend but it's all good now and I'm back! Hopefully I'll be updating frequently again!**

* * *

A month had passed since Eponine had shown up at the Musain and promptly left. No one had spoken about it. No one had followed her, none of them really knew what to say. They had let her run and one by one they had trailed home after throwing Montparnasse out the door. She hadn't shown up at Musain after that, it was if she had fallen off of the face of the earth but it had caused a shift in the Musain and Grantaire could sense it. Everything was tense and everyone was on edge. The smallest of things made them snap at one another but no one seemed to address the problem.

The morning after they had seen Eponine he had rang the mysterious red head sister and informed her. After that they text each other every day to inform the other that they had heard nothing at all from her. He learned little things about their family and about the girl especially but never her name. He learned that the girl lived with their little brother, Roche. She had a job in a café and was saving up for an apartment. They lived about half an hour away. They had grown up not far from the Musain and their parents still lived there, at some run down Inn. He wondered why he had never heard much about this from Eponine but recently everything about Eponine seemed to be one big secret.

He had spent the past week visiting her flat at various times every day but she hadn't been in, or if she had she was doing a pretty good job at hiding from him. He sighed as he took the stairs two at a time, by the time he reached the second floor he was out of breath. He really needed to get healthier and cut down on his drinking and smoking. He took a few breaths before he continued up the rest of the stairs. He was almost at her floor when he heard the blaring music and he knew it had to be her. He ran the rest of the stairs and banged on the door with his fist, hoping she would actually hear him over her music. He banged again a few more times before he heard her hoarsely shout at him to 'keep his panties on'.

When the door opened he wasn't sure what shocked him first. The strong smell of weed of how awful she looked. Seeing who it was she went to slam the door shut and he quickly shoved his foot in the way before pushing the door open with more force than he needed to.

She took a step back, allowing him to get a proper look at her. Her hair fell in dry knotted clumps around her shoulders and her skin was sickly pale. She didn't look like she had slept or even eaten for days. Her clothes hung off of her, she was skinny before but now she was worse and her skin was covered in cuts and bruises and the unmistakable track marks. She saw the looked of disappointment in his eyes and quickly grabbed her jacket and shoved it on before turning the music down. "What d'you want?"

"Have you been drinking?" He pulled a face as he looked around, every surface was covered in empty cans and bottles and a pile of old pizza box was open on the coffee. She reached for a slice and he hurriedly swatted her hand away. Even for him the week old pizza was disgusting and he was almost certain it had some new form of undiscovered mould growing on it. If Joly was here he'd be having a heart attack by now.

She sighed as she slumped down on the sofa, drawing her knees up to her chest and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Oh honey, what are we going to do with you?" He breathed, rubbing his brow.

She smirked faintly, playing with the sleeve of her jacket. "You don't need to do anything," she told him quietly, her voice rasping as she spoke. "I'm fine how I am."

He shook his head as he looked down at the girl, she looked so much smaller than she usually did. There was no life in her, no energy. It was if she had all but given up. He'd seen her in her bad states, when she'd come home drunk and high, she was destructive but she was still happy in them times. He had thought she had given up the drugs for good some time ago but maybe being away from them had let her go back down that road. He hated himself for being so stupid, he hated his friends as well for letting this happen to her because none of them had known what to say to her.

He buried his face in her hair before pulling away and wrinkling his nose. "You need to go shower whilst I tidy," he ordered her sternly, ignoring her protests. "I'll see if you've got any clean clothes as well," he added, although he doubted that she would have any.

The moment she left the room he first went into the bedroom and gathered the washing together, shoving as much of it into the clunky old washing machine as he could manage. Luckily she still had some washing powder so he added a generous amount and set it going before opening all of the windows that weren't broken or threatening to fall off their hinges and onto an innocent pedestrian outside.

From there, he had no idea where to start.

* * *

Eponine emerged from the bathroom almost an hour later. Grantaire had managed to put most of the empty cans and bottles into bin bags and pile them up in the corner. Even for Grantaire it was an impress amount. He looked up and gave her a small smile as she stood looking at him, wrapped in a towel. "Are you hungry?" He asked after a few moments.

She nodded her head as she stepped towards him. "But the fridge is empty, and so are the cupboards. I haven't got any food. I ate the last of the cereal this morning."

"Right," he scratched the back of his neck as he glanced around. The nearest shop was about forty minutes away and normally one of the guys gave her a lift and dropped her off down the street near one of the posher looking flats that had recently been built. She insisted that none of them could ever find out where she lived and she'd done an impressive job keeping it a secret. He doubted she would appreciate it if he rang one of them now. "Take away?"

"I've got menus," she informed him as she padded across the room barefoot. He grimaced as he heard the crunch of glass and he quickly looked around, wincing as he watched continue walking as if nothing had happened despite the few dots of blood that trailed behind her.

He hurriedly stepped around the glass from the broken television that had been sat there for god knows how long and scooped her up despite her protests and sat her on the counter. She frowned at him as he grabbed her ankle and began examining it. "Get off!" She whined, trying to shake her ankle free.

He sighed as he held her still on the counter as she attempted to the slide off, the thought of her standing on the piece of glass in her foot made him cringe. "We need to go the hospital," he sighed.

She shoved him away before he could dodge her, her eyes going wide. "We can't go there!" She told him hurriedly, yanking her towel tighter around herself. "You know I can't!"

He sighed as he watched her. She hated hospitals for some reason, she'd never actually told him why. He scratched the back of his neck again before glancing at the door. "I can take you to Joly?"

She looked down at her hands as she shook her head. "I can get it out myself," she told him quietly.

He frowned as he stepped forward and placed his finger under her chin and forced her head up to look at him. "We don't think of you any differently," he told her gently. He frowned as she looked down, awkwardly staring at the drops of blood from her foot. "So, the choice is the hospital or Joly."

* * *

Joly and Jehan were tucked away in the corner, Jehans legs sprawled across the medical students legs with one of his many medical textbooks rested on top of the others legs. As Joly read Jehan silently ran his fingers through his hair, carefully braiding it in clumps, leaving them stuck out in various directions.

Over the past few months their friendship had grown and blossomed into something more. Jehan didn't believe in labelling it, so nobody else did either. They simply remained Jehan and Joly. For Joly it was his first relationship and for Jehan it was one of many. The poet had brought various people to the café with him over the years but never kept them for long, he always lost interest in them. He had even been with Courfeyrac for a short time but then, most people had. He wouldn't have been surprised is everyone except him and Enjolras had found themselves in bed with the young charmer.

He moved to rest his head on Jehans shoulder as he rubbed his eyes and before he could protest, the young man had closed his textbook and swept it out the way. He sat up slightly straighter, ready to protest when the other silenced him with a kiss to his lips. "You look tired," Jehan told him softly, peppering kisses on the bags under his eyes.

Joly nodded as he lifted his legs off of his lap and stretched, finding Jehans hand in his as he straightened out his arms. He didn't have the energy to protest as he was guided towards the door before the other wrapped an arm around his waist and called a cheery goodbye to the room who responded with half of his enthusiasm.

Jehan shivered as they stepped out onto the street and cuddled closer to the medical student, humming in approval at the arm that moved around his shoulders and held him even closer. "Are you off tomorrow?" The poet asked hopefully.

Joly smiled and nodded his head. "No hospita shift in the morning," he confirmed, causing the younger man to look up at him excitedly and rattle off a long list of things they were going to do, whether Joly wanted to or not. In fact, the medical student hoenstly didn't cre as lon as his poet was there beside him thoughout these various events. Although, he'd prefer not to be to another poetry class. Apparently poems about disease didn't go down very well and not many things rhymed with Coccidiodomycosis anyway.

Jehan was still making his list when Joly paused, ignoring the man tugging on his sleeve. Finally Jehan stopped and looked in the same direction, squinting slightly. "Is that Taire?" He asked. Joly nodded his head as he pulled Jehan towards the man, carrying an obviously annoyed girl who did nothing but wriggle in his arms. It took them a few moments before they realised it was Eponine, she was different compared to the last time they had seen her and both men grimaced as they approached them.

"Put me down!" Eponine ordered, hitting Grantaire in the chest as hard as she could muster. The man barely flinched as he clutched at the girl in his arms, trying to stop her from escaping. She glanced over her shoulder to where Grantaire was looking, spotting their two friends approaching. "I don't need help!"

"You're injured," he reminded her, nodding a greeting at the other two. "She needs you to look at her foot, Joly."

"My foots fine!" She snapped at Grantaire, sulking as she stopped attempting to escape. There was no point now there was three of them to stop her from running- well, limping off.

"Fetch her inside," Joly instructed, giving Jehan an apologetic look which he replied with a simple shrug as he walked a head of the group.

Jehan was the first to enter the Musain, everyone looked up at him curiously having only just left. Bahorel laughed as he looked at the poet. "Can't be bored of our young doctor already?" He asked, patting the seat next to him.

Everyone looked up curiously as the door swung open again and the remaining three entered, Grantaire still carrying Eponine whilst Joly led them inside. Everyone fell silent before awkwardly looking away. They were barely a few steps into the room when Combeferre had finished clearing off a table for them to work at and Grantaire quickly carried her over and unceremoniously dumped her on the table.

It took a few moments as everyone stared at the sickly thin figure, a quite murmur of discussion filled the room as everyone began to discuss who this stranger was. Finally, Combeferre gasped as he pushed the hair out of her face, chewing his lip as he watched the way that she turned her head away from him. "Eponine," he whispered, causing silence to fall through the room again as he took her hand, holding onto it tighter than he needed to.

Jehan fetched Jolys first aid kit that was kept behind the bar at all times over to the table and handed it to him whilst he asked a series of questions to which Eponine answered boredly, attempting to stand up now and again only for Joly to force her to sit back down.

"I stood on glass Joly," she finally snapped. "Christ, you're all acting like I developed some kind disease and I'm going to pass it all on to you! I'm not, by the way. I'm perfectly fine. I'm not ill, I'm not diseased. I wont sneeze on you all! It's just a piece of glass."

Combeferre and Joly exchanged a look over her head as Joly hurriedly grabbed his tweezers out of his bag and pulled a chair up by her feet, sitting down as he very carefully began to examine the area whilst Combeferre kept a hand on her shoulder as she strained to look at what he was doing.

She winced as he griped the glass with the tweezers and before he had to chance to remove it she yanked her foot back quickly. "Get off!" She snapped at him as she tried to remove Combeferres hand from her shoulder at the same time.

Jehan stepped forward, offering his assistance as he held onto her ankle tightly so she couldn't pull back again as Joly managed to grip the glass and slowly begin to remove it. She hissed as she grabbed Combeferres wrist, digging her nails into his skin as she squeezed her eyes closed.

Combeferre smiled faintly as he stroked her hair out of her face, glancing at what Joly was doing. "It's going to be over very soon, you just need to stay still," he whispered to her soothingly. She gritted her teeth as Joly managed to pull the piece of glass out of her foot and began rubbing something against the wound. She tried to yank her leg away from the stinging but somehow the young poet, despite his skinny frame was surprisingly strong. After a few minutes Joly was done and he stepped back, along with Jehan whilst Combeferre helped her sit up. Everyone stared at her for a few moments. The last time any of them had seen her she'd looked a lot healthier than she was now, although that wasn't saying much.

Finally, Bahorel was the first to speak up. "What the hell happened to you?"

She stared at her hands awkwardly as she shifted on the table. "I need to go," she muttered under her breath as she slid to the edge of it, dangling her feet off. Joly was already kneeling on the floor as he hurriedly wrapped a banadage, which she was certain was completely unnecessary and just him attempting to stall her, around her injured foot.

"Drugs," a voice spoke up. Everyone turned to face the blonde leader who was tracing his finger along the line in his book on the table, although it was fairly obvious he wasn't reading, it was quite obvious he didn't want to look at her and Eponine didn't bother to even try to catch his attention. She didn't want his attention. Enjolras glanced up briefly and looked at his friends scattered around the room. "She'd been taking drugs, look at her."

Joly frowned as he stood up, nervously looking at her. "May I see your arms?" Eponine shook her head silently, crossing her arms against her chest. Her track marks were hidden beneath the horrid jumper that had once belonged to Jehan and that she had 'borrowed' a long time ago.

Combeferre sighed as he stepped forward, cupping her face in his hands. "Can I see your arms?" He asked her gently, refusing to allow her to move her head away. "We need to make sure they're not infected. You could get sick."

She glanced up at him before nodding her head and slowly pulling her sleeves up. There was a chorus of gasps from around the room as she revealed her pale skin, coated in the track marks from the needles. She turned her head away as Combeferre stepped to the side and allowed Joly to take a look as he wrapped his arms carefully around her and held her tightly.

No one noticed the blonde man shoving his books into his bag, or as he crossed the room. No one noticed until the door slammed shut behind him and Eponine let out a small sniff as she held tighter onto Combeferre. She heard Joly speak quietly to Combeferre behind her but didn't really care to know what he said. "They look fine as long as they are kept clean. I imagine it wont be long until she feels the symptoms of withdrawal however. I wouldn't advise letting her go home alone." By the time he had finished speaking, Eponine had closed her eyes tiredly and allowed Combeferre to hold her body against him as he let out a small sigh into her hair.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so, so sorry! I lost my internet. It's a long story but the internet company cut me off without warning and then refused to reconnect me and I haven't had internet since before Christmas but as far as I'm aware I have internet now! But I also have a big bunch of deadlines coming up over the next few months so that's… fun…**

**Anyway, I didn't want to leave you without an update for much longer so here you go! Enjoy! I know it's a little short but I'll try and update again soon!**

* * *

Joly had been right when he said she would feel the withdrawal soon. Combeferre had barely got her through the door when she started trembling and in the brief walk from the Musain a thin layer f sweat had formed on her skin despite the cold air. He placed her gently on the sofa before going into his bedroom and returning with some old clothes for her to sleep in.

He hadn't noticed Enjoras' presence stood in his bedroom door as he watched them silently. After a few moments of watching Combeferre try to get an old beatles band tshirt on her he finally cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Why did you bring her here?"

"Because she shouldn't be alone through this," he stated simply, glancing up at Enjolras. His expression softened as he took Eponines hand in his and rubbed soothing circles over her knuckles as she gritted her teeth. "And I saw her flat and I'm not letting her go back there."

"She did this to herself," Enjolras told him bluntly, paying no attention to the girl. "If you're going to insist on keeping her here you are the one that will be cleaning up after her."

Combeferre sighed and nodded his head. He had grown used to Enjolras' moods over the years, he'd eventually change his mind, or at least he hoped he would. Enjolras could be stubborn when he wanted to be and this seemed to be one of those occasions. "I already assumed that would be the case," he told him as he glanced at Eponine. In the few moments the two men had been speaking she had paled and it suddenly dawned on him as she sat up what was about to happen. He lunged for the bin and managed to shove it in front of her just in time.

Enjolras wrinkled his nose as he watched her throw up before he turned his back on them and slammed the door. Eponine flinched as the noise only increased her headache. "He's mad," she whispered as she slowly laid back down against the sofa, smiling faintly as Combeferre stroked her hair out of her face.

"He's not mad, he just has a funny way of showing he's worried," he assured her as he moved the bin out of the way. "By morning he'll be fine."

She nodded her head as she closed her eyes, taking Combeferres hand as he carefully draped the blanket over her and settled on the floor beside the sofa has he watched her. Her chest rose and fell unsteadily as she laid there and his heart ached at the sight of her. It had never dawned on him that this was what she had been getting up to when she disappeared for days on end. He settled closer to her, keeping a hold of her hand as he prepared to spend the night beside her.

* * *

Enjolras had spent most of the night trying to work. He had a pile of essays that he needed to catch up on but outside he could hear their voices. He'd heard Combeferre reach for the bin multiple times and his voice gently trying to sooth Eponine. He was even certain at one point he'd heard Eponine begging Combeferre to go out and get her more drugs but he had refused that as well and eventually after a while they had fallen silent. Two hours had passed since he had heard a noise from either of them.

He glanced at the clock, realising it had already gone three in the morning before he stood up and stretched his stiff muscles before silently going into the kitchen and fetching himself a glass of water. On his way back to his bedroom he paused to glance at his flat mate and the girl. Combeferre had fallen asleep with his head on the cushion of the sofa beside Eponines head shoulder and she was curled up beneath thick blanket. He was about to leave them until he noticed the slight tremble of the material and cautiously approached. "Eponine?" He whispered as he placed the glass down, slowly moving the blanket away from her. She clutched the pillow tightly as she trembled, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. He frowned as he felt at her clammy forehead before giving her a gentle shake. "Ep, are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped open as she looked up at him, her puffy eyes meeting his. It was obvious she had been crying but he didn't say anything. He pulled his hand back as he let his eyes trail over her, there was no way he could just leave her here and he couldn't wake Combeferre and leave him to look after her either. Instead he carefully removed the blanket and draped it over Combeferre before lifting her into her arms. He knew she was skinny but he had never expected her to be so light. He sighed as he navigated the way to his room, trying his best not to jolt her in case she was nauseous again. "I'm not angry," he whispered finally as she rested her head against his shoulder.

He sat down on the bed and moved against the headboard before grabbing a blanket to cover them both with. She didn't say anything as she held onto the front of the shirt, leaving them in a comfortable silent.

The next half an hour went slowly as they sat there. He combed his fingers through her hair as he sighed. "Why didn't you tell us?" He asked her quietly. She didn't answer after a few minutes and he didn't press the question either, assuming that she had maybe fallen asleep at last.

"I didn't want to," she replied quietly. "I just… I thought you'd think less of me."

He smiled faintly. "We'd never think less of you for any of this," he told her. "We'd think more of you for being so strong."

She blinked back tears as she looked up at him. "But you were angry… or disappointed. I never know with you."

"I wasn't either of those things with you," he sighed. "I was angry and disappointed in myself for missing this and for then not helping you. I'm sorry."

She smiled faintly as she curled up closer to him. "I forgive you," she whispered against his neck.

* * *

Enjolras held onto her as she finally slept, staring at the ceiling as he listened to her raspy breathing. His tiredness didn't matter right then, or the fact he had lectures in a few hours and deadlines not far away. He wanted to be there if she woke up or needed anything. He'd almost forgotten that Combeferre was asleep against the sofa until he heard a loud thud before his name was being shouted. He didn't even have time to respond before his door flew open and Combeferre all but fell into the bedroom. The medical students face softened as he sighed in relief. "I thought she'd gone," he told him as he cautiously sat down on the bed beside them.

Enjolras half smiled as he glanced down at Eponine. "She didn't look very good. I brought her in here. She's been asleep for a few hours."

"You have classes in the morning," Combeferre frowned as he carefully examined her. "I think she's got through the worst of it."

Enjolras shook his head. "That doesn't matter," he sighed as he tried to roll his shoulder. "A friend needs me."

Combeferre looked at him for a moment, analysing his choice of words. "Friend," he repeated with a raised eyebrow as he took Eponine from him and carefully moved her onto the bed instead.

Enjolras sighed as he stood up and moved around the room, stretching his limbs. "Can we not do this now, Ferre?"

He nodded his head. "Maybe in the morning," he told him. "Come to bed. It's late."

Enjolras glanced over at his bed, smiling faintly as he looked at Eponine tucked carefully under the covers, looked smaller than usual and Combeferre perched on top of the covers, stroking her hair as he rested his head on the pillow. As much as he wanted to deny it to himself, he was drawn to the two of them and he couldn't push them away. He carefully slipped his shoes off before making his way over to them and settling on the other side of her, staying on top of the covers as well. She automatically reached for the front of his shirt and held onto it loosely as she continued to sleep and it wasn't long until the two men joined her in sleep.


End file.
